Our Correspondent
People are returning to their homes as the flood situation gradually improves in Kurigram with major rivers flowing through the districts all flowing below the danger level.
Brahmmaputra was flowing 11cm below its danger level at Chilmari point while Dharla was flowing 21cm under its danger mark at Bridge point area. Teesta was 55cm below the red mark at Kaunia point on Wednesday morning.
An estimated 350,000 people in 56 unions of the district have been affected by the flood. Many of those who took shelter on high grounds are starting to return to their homesteads as the flood water is receding.
Officials say they have distributed relief materials among the flood-affected people in remote char areas in Rajibpur and Chilmari upazilas on Tuesday.
State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Zakir Hossain and Senior Secretary of Water Resources Ministry Kabir bin Anwar have distributed food among the people.
The flood that began in the last week of June has affected 162 upazilas across and is yet to subside fully, said a bulletin of the Directorate General of Health Services.
So far, 145 people have died in the flood – 10 in the last 24 hours, it said. People in Kurigram, Madaripur, Sirajganj, Tangail, Faridpur and Netrakona are the worst-hit from the deluge.
The government prepared 1567 shelters in the flood-affected districts. Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Dr Muhammad Abdur Razzaque on Tuesday asked the officials concerned to visit the flood-hit areas and closely monitor field activities to help recoup farmers’ losses.
The government has already formed 14 committees to accelerate the monitoring and cooperating activities including disbursement of fertiliser and seeds. The officials concerned of the ministry will have to work alongside the committee.
Trade activities at Sonamasjid land port resume
Our Correspondent
The export-import activities at Sonamasjid land port resumed on Wednesday after four days of suspension due to Eid-ul-Azha holiday.
Toufiqur Rahman Babu, general secretary of export-import association of the land port, said trade activities remained suspended from August 1 to August 4 and goods-laden trucks from India started to enter the port from 11am on Wednesday following the resumption of the port activities.
Earlier, the port authorities declared four days of holiday from August 1 for Eid, he said.
Rajshahi trader faces action for dumping goatskins into Padma
Our Correspondent
A trader of Rajshahi city is in deep trouble after dumping the rawhides into the river Padma. He is now facing legal action over polluting the river water.
During the Eid-ul-Azha this year the rawhides of sacrificial animals have been sold at cheaper prices in Rajshahi city. The real traders were very cautious in buying the rawhides. But the seasonal traders bought the rawhides at higher prices without proper understanding about the market trends. Subsequently, they couldn’t sold their rawhides at the prices they bought from people and incurred losses.
Failing to sell, Sakhawat Hossain, a local trader dumped a large quantity of goatskins into the river Padma at Bulonpur area of the city carrying those by a rickshaw van to the bank of the river on the following day of Eid-ul-Azha. The pictures and video of his dumping became viral on social media. Now, he is facing deep trouble. Process is going on to take legal action against him on charge of environmental pollution.
Pictures and video footage of dumping goatskins into the river had spread throughout the internet by Sunday morning. News was also published in the media. The matter came to the attention of the Ministry of Commerce. The ministry asked additional deputy commissioner (Overall) Muhammad Shariful Huq to investigate the matter. A team of the commerce ministry led by the investigation officer probed the matter and submitted their report to the ministry concerned on Sunday.
Our Correspondent
Bodies of two children were retrieved on Wednesday morning who went missing after a boat capsized in a water body of Manikganj district on Tuesday.
Now, the death toll stood at five.
Bodies of Mithila, 12, daughter of Hanufa and Shanto, 11, son of Roksana were recovered around 8 am.
Earlier on Tuesday afternoon, bodies of Hanufa, 37, her sister Rokasana, 30, and their Riazul, 25, were retrieved.
The accident took place in Char Mastool Charpara Beel around 1:45pm when they were going to visit their sister’s house.
Daulatpur Police Station officer in-charge (OC) Md Rezaul Karim confirmed the matter.
2 snatchers held with arms in Ctg
Our Correspondent
Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in a drive arrested two alleged terrorists with a foreign-made pistol and two rounds of bullet from Charlakaya area under Karnafuli thana of the district on Tuesday.
The arrested were identified as Ramzan Ali, 43, son of Tufan Ali and Abdul Mannan alias
Rana, 36, son of Jebal Ahmed, both of Kolagaon area under Patia upazila of the district.
On a tip- off, a team of the RAB-7 conducted a raid in the area and arrested the duo with the
Arms and ammunition on Tuesday night, said Mahmudul Hasan Mamun, assistant director (Media) of RAB-7. According to the RAB, there are several cases including snatching, drug trading and sexual harassment were pending against them with different police stations in the city and district.
Later, the arrested persons were handed over to Karnafuli Police Station on Wednesday, he added.
T-Aman cultivation begins in Narsingdi
Our Correspondent
The cultivation of T-Aman paddy has begun in all the six upazilas of the district during the current season.
Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) office sources said amid favorable climate condition, farmers of the district are now working round the clock in their paddy fields for transplanting T-Aman seedlings expecting a bumper production.
The sources said a total of 41,060 hectares of land would be brought under T-Aman paddy cultivation in the district this season. Of the total, 31,010 hectares of land would be brought under High Yielding Variety (HYV) and 10,050 hectares under local variety of the paddy. Deputy Director of DAE, Narsingdi, Shovan Kumar Dhar told BSS that farmers of the district in the meantime have already transplanted about five percent of the total targeted land.
He said Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC) has so far distributed 380 tonnes of seed among the farmers and there is no shortage of T-Aman seedling in the district.
Over 10,2790 tonnes of Aman rice is expected to be produced in the district this season, he said.
